The one question you must be able to answer to graduate college

How to succeed in college is why I write this blog and why I wrote my book. I teach how to build the relationships that are integral to college and career success. 

And you read this blog (and my book I hope) because you want to succeed. You want to do more with your life. You want to know how.

And I applaud you for that. You're way ahead of most people, and the fact that you're even reading this sentence shows you are a pretty dedicated person. Kudos to you. 

There is a question, however, whose answer can make or break the "how to succeed" in anything, especially something as demanding as college. 

It starts with one word - why.

Why do you want to graduate college?

Before you answer, consider the following:

1. WHY do you want to graduate college: 

How to succeed in college will mean nothing if you don't have a good reason why. I firmly believe that the large number of students who drop out of community college aren't doing it because they aren't smart or capable. 

While there are many external reasons, I think the primary internal problem is that they don't have a strong enough 'why' to push them to find the resources, time, and support they need to complete. 

2. Why do YOU want to graduate college: 

Your reason should be for you. It should be deeply personal and motivating. If money motivates you, then maybe it's the salary benefits. If you're motivated by the difference you can make in the world, maybe it's a certain community you want to help. 

Maybe there's a dream job you want that requires a college degree. Or maybe you have no idea what you want to do after college but you know you want to have options to choose and not get stuck in a job you hate (that was my why). 

Going to college for anyone else or for any reason other than your own won't work, especially if you have the kind of obstacles that come with being a low-income or first generation student. 

Your personal why may seem selfish, but it's not. It's the best thing you can do for your family and your community. 

Dream big.

3. Why do you want to GRADUATE college:

Going to college is the first step, and it's a difficult one so congratulations if you've made it that far! However, sadly too many students in community college do not graduate. 

Your reason for going to college should be rooted in your reason for graduating. What is your end goal and why? Once you graduate from community college do you want to go on to get a Bachelor's, a Master's, a J.D., an M.BA., an M.D. or a Ph.D? What degrees do you want and why? 

Again, make it personal, and think about the end goal. What would walking down that aisle to receive that diploma really mean to you? 

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I got my Master's diploma in the mail in the summer of 2012, on the day my grandma Isabel died. In that moment I knew that my degree was so much more than a piece of paper. It was more than projected lifetime earnings. It was hope. And it was opportunity to do more than my grandma ever had the opportunity to do. 

Why are you in college? Why do you want to graduate college? If you don't have a reason that makes your heart beat faster and your motivation swell then schedule a meeting with a professor or mentor and start talking about it.

Slugging along through classes without a good "why" is dangerous.

But once you do have that "why," write it down and read it every morning. And if you're willing, please e-mail it to me at isa@isaadney.com with your first name and name of your college (or you can request to be anonymous) as I'd love to share some of your whys in an upcoming blog post. 

How to succeed in college requires a lot of diligence and hard work. Our brains are hardwired to give up when something is too difficult - unless the 'why' is strong enough. 

Find your why and get your degree. You deserve it. 

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

An easy way to never miss a deadline in college

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post and all opinions are my own. I am sharing this free app because I think it is a great resource for community college students. 

I recently met the founder and CEO of GradGuru.org and was so excited to learn more about this incredible mobile app JUST for community college students.

The app was the winner of the 2013 Gates Foundation College Knowledge Challenge and is grounded in research. The tips you'll get on your phone are crafted just for you and are designed to reach you at exactly the right time. 

It also features your community college calendar and sends you reminders on those very important dates and deadlines (like add/drop). 

It's been downloaded 1,200+ times so far and students have been writing great reviews, such as:

"This app really is a community college counselor in my pocket." 

"I've missed deadlines in the past but never again now that I have GradGuru."

"Awesome app. Really keeps you on track with deadlines and stuff. Love the alerts and the tips are super helpful!!"

I've been waiting to tell you about it because it was only on the iPhone. Now it's available for the Android too and here is how you can get it right now: 

1) Download it on Google Play (Android) or the App Store (iPhone) by searching "GradGuru" (no space in between). 

2) When the app opens it will prompt you to add your college. If your college is not on the list, go to the "unlock" tab at the top and it will prompt you to send an e-mail. Once you click the email button a pre-filled email will show up  asking GradGuru to add your school. All you have to do is enter in the name of your school in the space at the end and click send. 

Once GradGuru receives requests from 10 students from the same school they will add it! So tell your friends, a club you're involved with on campus, or your SGA to download the app and send the request so your school will be on the app! 

(This would be an especially great idea for any PTK students involved in the College Completion initiative as it'd be a great app to share with students who sign the College Completion banner.)

3) Do nothing. Once you've done that GradGuru will do the rest! You'll get relevant and timely tips straight to your phone that will help you be successful in community college and beyond. The app has just recently launched and new features and helpful things will also continue to get added. 

Enjoy!

How to help students complete college on your campus

College completion is a hot topic right now, because, well, we are falling behind. As a student, I'm sure you can guess why. College is hard, and many students struggle with affording college and finding the time to manage coursework and put food on the table. Others just feel lost and alone, many as the first in their families to attempt this journey. 

The good news is that people are paying attention, and a lot of good is being done. From the incredible work of foundations like the Lumina and Gates, to what individual students are doing as part of Phi Theta Kappa's C4 Completion effort.

I have had the privilege of seeing some amazing college completion events as part of my speaking travels this year, and I recently put together a list of the incredible completion event ideas that have inspired me. The resource can help you start a completion event on your campus if you haven't already, and shares some of the fun and creative things other colleges are doing around the country. 

These days are making a difference; I can tell just by walking on the campuses and meeting the students. Nothing compares to walking on a campus and knowing it's a special day, knowing that everyone is behind this idea that college completion matters, and, more importantly, that you matter. Students on your campus will feel it too. 

So feel free to check out this free resource to get you inspired to do your part to make a difference when it comes to college completion on your campus. Almost all of the ideas I share come from students just like you. It's amazing what you can accomplish - and whose lives on your campus you can change. 

Commit to Complete :) 

Why to complete college

Right now I am sitting in the cafeteria of Finger Lakes Community College, waiting to speak for New York State's College Completion Day. As I think about completion, I look around me, and I realize I’m surrounded by students who are here for a reason. They may not know what that reason is yet, but for some reason, they’re here. They started.

As I sit here today, about to speak about completion and have it broadcasted to all 37 New York community colleges, I can’t help but think about where I started.

When I sat in my community college cafeteria I could have never really believed I’d be an author and a speaker, traveling the country and helping students succeed. It’s a Wednesday and I’m in New York State. Doing what I love. Is this real?

That was always my reason for completing college - to have a chance to do a job I loved.

My dad, who wasn't able to figure out what he wanted to do with his life when he went to community college, always instilled within me and my brothers to do what we love – to figure out who we were, what we were good at, and then find a way to paid for it. I chased that. And I always believed college would give me the freedom to explore and choose and fail, and then get back up again and try something new.

Last week my dad’s mom died. And on that same day, I received my M.Ed diploma in the mail. 

And in that moment I realized a diploma is so much more than a piece of paper. For me, it represents my life. It represents my hard work, my tears, my failures, my strengths, and my choices. There is nothing you can really say to explain to someone the feeling of finishing something you’re proud of. The only way to feel that elation is to experience it.

And that is what I want for you. That elation of not just “getting through” college, but of completing it. The feeling of reaching a goal you really care about. The feeling of having more choices and a chance of a better life than anyone in your family has had before. 

Sometimes I know it's hard to hope for that feelings when things are so hard now, when you're just trying to survive. But I have learned that any goal worth achieving involves long periods of time where you feel like your hard work will never pay off.  

But it will. 

And when you get that diploma you will feel it. You will realize that in the end it isn't the piece of paper that matters, and in some ways it isn't even the credential or the resume boost that really matters, that really gives you that feeling.

You may find, like I did, that the paper will bring to your mind what you did to get where you are today. It will make you feel so thankful to all the people who helped you achieve more than you ever thought possible. And more than anything else, you will enjoy the feeling that you have the power to create your life, despite any obstacles that come your way.

The things that cause community college students to drop out are also the things that make completers that much stronger. 

You may have barriers you've faced  because the color of your skin or the neighborhood where you grew up or how much money your parents had (or didn't have). But you are so much more than that, and when you complete your degree, you show the world that you can do anything. You prove that the American Dream still exists, because it is only as strong as the will of the people who pursue it. 

But most importantly, you show yourself that you can do anything. And once you figure that out, nothing will limit what you can accomplish.

The New York State completion day event I was a part of can be viewed on FLCC Connects (my speech starts at around 38 minutes). And I highly recommend checking out this great short video they created, featuring amazing CC alumni talking about why it's so important to complete college. 

Is it possible to be too confident? The missing link in college completion.

Students in the U.S. lag far behind foreign peers when it comes to math and reading. However - they are in the lead when it comes to confidence. 

What?

We are the generation where everyone got a trophy. We feel pretty good about ourselves. But sometimes this confidence isn't rooted in or connected with the hard work required. Those that don't check their confidence will be met with frustration, depression, and disappointment when they struggle to succeed in college or find a job. 

I still think many students need more confidence - but not so much in believing in what they can achieve, but in how they can achieve it. There is a missing link that we have to connect if we're going to raise the high school and college drop out rates. 

And it's a missing link you can connect for yourself. 

I'm currently reading an amazing book called Students Speak: Are We Listening? by Kay M. McClenney and Arleen Arnsparger, and in the opening they state that while nearly 80% of community college students say they intend to earn an associate degree when they start community college, less than half are actually achieving that goal (p.14).  

The authors allude to the missing link between confidence and results in community college (can you see yourself or your friends in these statements?): 

"While students express certainty about their end goal - a degree, certificate, and/or transfer to a four-year institution - they often are far less certain about what they'll do with the credential they earn."(bold mine, p.16).

And in focus groups, students "often acknowledge that they didn't clearly understand in the beginning what it would take for them to succeed" (bold, mine p.17). 

Students come into community college confident that they will succeed. However, when things get hard, their confidence is bruised and they assume they just don't have what it takes. And they drop out. 

Belief is a powerful thing, and you won't be successful in your life if you don't believe you can be. However, that belief must be tempered with a serious understanding of the hard work required. Otherwise, you'll end up sorely disappointed, with a life far from what you hoped for. 

This is where the "knowing what you want to do with your degree" part comes in. The only way you'll be motivated to do the hard work is if the end goal is something you really want. Something that really excites you. Something you know is going to absolutely enhance your life. Something you're willing to work for.

You can't just be confident that you'll "get there somehow." You have to be confident that you can do the hard work required, every day. 

How to link your confidence to your goals

• Think about the goals you have for your college degree and write them down. Then interview someone with the degree and/or job you want and pay close attention to how much time and work they put in to achieve that goal. Ask them what their biggest challenges were in achieving their goal. Ask for their advice in overcoming those challenges. 
• Ask yourself which attitude honestly reflects you right now: "yeah I'll do this one day" or "I'm going to do this to the best of my ability today."
• Realize that anything that will make your life better is going to be hard. College is hard. But the hard work is a lot easier when it's directed towards something you really want. 
• Write a journal entry about what you really want in your life and how college will help you get there. Believe you can make it happen. And work work work.

In the end, when it comes to results, confidence alone is second to hard work. But confidence plus hard work? Unstoppable. 


McClenney, K. M., & Arnsparger, A. (2012). Students Speak Are We Listening?. Austin: Center for Community College Student Engagement.